Book production in the 19th-century was revolutionized by technological change, yet toward the end of the century, a counter-movement emerged to recover techniques and styles of earlier printing. Today fine printing still displays these apparently conflicting impulses. In this forum, noted scholar William S. Peterson will explore 19th-century bookmaking techniques through the
lens of the Kelmscott Press. He will consider how, although William Morris (1834–1896) has a reputation as a craftsman who sought to recover medieval bookmaking methods, he was also responsive to the artistic innovations of his time. Along with a close examination of Morris’s own typefaces, and wood engravings of the Kelmscott Press, he will show that Morris made extensive, pioneering use of photography as an instrument of design. Joining the conversation,
renowned artist and bookmaker Barry Moser, whose masterful works continue to enrich the tradition of fine bookmaking, will discuss how he draws inspiration from both historic and contemporary techniques.

Barry Moser is a renowned author, painter, printer, and printmaker who has designed over 300 books, including an edition of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (winner of the National Book Award), Jump, Again! The Further Adventures of Brer Rabbit (named one of the ten best illustrated children’s books by the New York Times), Appalachia, the Voices of Sleeping Birds, and the Pennyroyal Caxton Bible. He is the proprietor of Pennyroyal Press.

William S. Peterson is Professor Emeritus of English at the University of Maryland. He is author of numerous essays, reviews, articles, and books including The Kelmscott Press: A History of William Morris’s Typographical Adventure and John Betjeman: A Bibliography. The recipient of many prestigious grants and fellowships, he is editor of Printing History.

This program is a complement to the conference, Birth of the Bestseller: The 19th-Century Book in Britain, France, and Beyond from March 29 through March 31, 2007, organized by the Bibliographical Society of America and being held at the Grolier Club, the Morgan Library & Museum, and the Fales Library, New York University. For more information go to:www.bibsocamer.org.